Formula 1: Abu Dhabi sees 4 strange coincidences from 12 years ago

When Lewis Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes in 2013, it was viewed as the British driver moving to a less competitive Formula 1 team. Some went as far as saying his career would never be the same again.

However, Hamilton proved everyone wrong at Mercedes and ended up turning it into the best driver/constructor partnership in Formula 1 history, winning six driver championships and eight constructor championships during his 12 years there.

When the 39-year-old’s move to Ferrari was announced earlier this year, it shocked the whole world. Many did not see why Hamilton would want to move elsewhere, given the success he has achieved at Mercedes. Eventually, people came to terms with the move, as he made it clear he had a dream of driving for Ferrari since he was young.

As the 2024 season reached its final stages in Abu Dhabi, emotions started to run high. A lot of attention was on Hamilton throughout the weekend, beginning on media day, and the weekend ended with tears of both sadness and joy all around.

A Grand Prix similar to his final one with McLaren

The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had several similarities with Hamilton’s final race with McLaren, which was the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. They spanned from the first turn of the race to the finish line.

To start, Sergio Perez found himself in the same spot at the Yas Marina Circuit as he did in Sao Paulo 12 years ago. The Mexican driver made contact with Bruno Senna in 2012, which ended his race on the opening lap, and a reliability issue combined with contact with Valtteri Bottas ended his race on the opening lap this season.

If Perez ends up getting dropped by Red Bull, it would be another fitting similarity, as his race in Sao Paulo marked his final race for Sauber before his move to McLaren in 2013.

Next, a multiple-time world champion from Red Bull spun on the first lap and managed to recover up to P6. In 2012, Sebastian Vettel did it after contact with Bruno Senna, while this season, Max Verstappen recovered after contact with Oscar Piastri.

Both Grands Prix also happened to have a British race winner from McLaren, with Jenson Button crossing the finish line first in 2012 and Lando Norris doing the same in Abu Dhabi last weekend.

Finally, Ferrari managed to get both of their drivers on the podium on both occasions, with a Spanish driver in P2 and the other one in P3. 2012 saw Fernando Alonso in P2 and Felipe Massa in P3 while 2024 saw Carlos Sainz Jr. in P2 and Charles Leclerc in P3.

One can never know what to expect from a Grand Prix the second the lights go out. But in this case, Lewis Hamilton's final Grand Prix with Mercedes featured several odd similarities when compared to his final Grand Prix with McLaren in 2012.